Snowy Reads

By: Mary Skobieranda

In the midst of the coldest days of winter, there doesn’t always seem to be too many viable options to get our minds off school or spend time decompressing. When it’s just too cold to spend time outside, I’ve found that prioritizing reading for pure enjoyment is a perfect idle activity for when I need a break, or when I’m trying to relax my brain at night and help me fall asleep. And for anyone stuck in quarantine, reading will make hours of boredom pass by like minutes when you’ve seen everything on Netflix and your eyes hurt from the bright light of a screen! Here are a few books I’ve loved in the past year, which all provide the perfect escape into another person’s story that is much needed during the winter months. 

1. Educated by Tara Westover

This book tells the insane coming-of-age story of a girl named Tara, born in Idaho to a family of strict survivalists, who begins to search with grit and courage for fulfillment within conventional society and is shocked by the juxtaposition of what she begins learning about the real world in comparison her sheltered childhood. This book continued to shock me with every page and her bravery left me wondering how this story could possibly be nonfiction. 

2. The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton

The Sun Does Shine is an incredibly touching, yet heart-wrenching true story of a man’s decades spent on Alabama’s death row for a crime he did not commit. Hinton holds an unbelievable optimism despite the unjust obstacles that continue to cross his path and becomes a catalyst for hope in his prison and his own life, partnering with attorney Bryan Stevenson in pursuit of justice for lost time. This book is an incredible and powerful testament to this man’s human spirit and the necessity of reform in our prisons and criminal justice system. 

3. The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs 

This book is a moving and refreshingly honest memoir that delves into the true meaning of life and acceptance of death from the unique perspective of a terminal breast cancer patient, poet, and mother of two. Riggs exudes a gratitude for the emotional ups and downs of living with a terminal disease and portrays beautifully the impact of this journey on loved ones in a way that inspires the reader to grasp onto each little blessing in life. 

When you’ve had enough of rewatching the same old shows, try getting comfortable getting lost in a book for a change. Once it becomes a habit, you might start looking forward to reading as a relaxing part of your routine and a welcome escape during the winter months. If you don’t know where to start, pick up one of these three books and give it a try!